Do I Pray to Jesus or God?

Q. I am a little confused about Jesus. I know he was God and a man. But now that he is back in heaven, is he still God? Who should I pray to, Jesus or God? I am afraid I may be saying the wrong things in prayer.

A. One of the hardest things to understand about Christianity is the doctrine of the Trinity. God is three in one. He is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. All three are God and each has a distinct personality. The Father is the Creator. The Son is the Savior. The Holy Spirit is the Counselor and Comforter. I like to describe it this way: When I tell you to turn on the light, you go to a switch that sends an electric current through a wire to the bulb. All three—the switch, the wire and the bulb—produce a single light. It is the same with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God is one, but three persons.

This means that Jesus is God, and there was a time in history when he became a human. After Jesus died on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins, he went back to heaven to reside there. He sent the Holy Spirit, also God, to dwell in every believer to comfort and counsel us. Because all three persons of the Trinity are God, you can address him in many ways. If you say "Our Father" or "Jesus" or "Holy Spirit," you are talking to God.